Dixon Family Matters
by OwenHarpersGirl
Summary: Raising a child isn't easy, especially when you're trying to do it during the apocalypse. Finding the balance between normal life and survival is something both Daryl and Carol are finding difficult, but they may just be able to make it with the others help. Caryl
1. The Little Dixon

Dixon Family Matters

The Little Dixon

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead**_** (sadly)**

**Note #1: Rated for Dixon language**

**Note #2: Sophia is younger in this story. I know in the show she's twelve, but here she's 9.**

"Ya'right lil man?" Daryl asked his son as they sped down the highway and Christian nodded.

"Ya hungry?" Christian nodded again. "A'right." Daryl honked the horn once and Christian watched as his uncle slowly stopped his motorcycle.

"C'mon," Daryl said, climbing out of the truck and lifting his son down.

"Wha's goin' on?" Merle shouted as he walked over, "Why the hell're we stopped?"

"Need food man," Daryl said, lowering the truck hatch and lifting the boy up so he could sit.

"Food? What we need is ta keep movin'" Merle said.

"Sorry Uncle Merle," Christian said quietly and Merle sighed.

"S'a'right buddy," he said. Merle Dixon could be a real ass most of the time, but he'd never been able to stay mad at his nephew from the day he met the boy. Christian was as tough as they came, a real Dixon man. He could cuss and fight as good any Dixon that was for sure. He also never asked for anything. Ever. So Merle knew if his nephew was admitting to being hungry he really must be.

"He ain't had nothin' ta eat since yesterday," Daryl told his brother, "Hardly been outta the truck." He dug through their belongings until finally he found a box of crackers.

"There ya go, eat," Daryl said, handing the box to his son.

"We need ta find a place to set up camp," Daryl said to his brother, "So's we can hunt. Eat some real good."

"We keep goin'," Merle said, "Try an' find a place 'fore dark." Daryl nodded and helped his son back into the truck.

"I'm sorry," Christian said again once they were back on the road.

"The hell ya sorry for?" Daryl asked.

"I know we gotta keep movin'" the boy said.

"Don't worry 'bout it," Daryl said, "If yer hungry ya tell me, a'right?" Christian nodded once. "Why don't you lie down," Daryl went, "Go ta sleep."

Christian nodded again, lying with his head next to his father's leg. He reached his hand up and grabbed onto his dad's pant leg, holding tightly. Daryl rested his hand on Christian's shoulder.

"Go ta sleep," he repeated, "I'll wake ya when we stop."

**So this is going to be my first extended **_**Walking Dead**_** fanfic. I've written a couple one-shots, but this one I'm planning on working on for much longer.**

**Daryl and Merle's speech is something I'm still getting used to and have been reading a lot of other fanfics to see how other people are writing them so I hope I'm doing alright. I'm also trying to get used to Christian and make sure I portray him right. He's basically a mini, five year old version of Daryl, but still keeping that childlike side of him.**

**I had a poll up asking if people wanted to see Daryl with his son right from the start or find the boy later. The results were split pretty evenly so I decided to just do both. The stories won't be the same so if you're interested in reading the other one you can check it out!**

**There will also be a new poll up my profile for this story and my other **_**Walking Dead**_** story so go take a look at that too! If you do vote make sure you vote for the right story. Thanks!**

**I'll be updating this story weekly on Thursdays. Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!**


	2. Meeting the Group

Meeting the Group

Daryl slowed the truck down and pulled to a halt behind his brother. Merle got off his bike and walked back to his brother's truck.

"Why we stoppin' now?" he complained, "Boy's asleep. What, are ya hungry now?"

"There's a group of cars through those trees," Daryl said, "Better off in numbers right?"

Merle nodded slowly in agreement, but he didn't look totally convinced. "How ya wanna play this?"

"You stay here with Christian," Daryl said, "I'll go check 'em out."

"Why the hell am I babysittin'" Merle asked gruffly.

"Cause I ain't leavin' him alone here," Daryl said, climbing out of the truck. "An' if you talk to 'em first there's no way they'll agree to this." Merle grunted and shook his head, but for once he didn't argue. Daryl grabbed his crossbow out of the back of the truck and made his way through the trees. He moved silently and the group didn't even realize he was there until he was upon them.

"Walkers are gonna get you people no problem if y'all don' start listenin'," he said and they spun around to face him.

"Who the hell are you?" a man with dark hair and a baseball cap asked. He had a shotgun trained on Daryl.

"Daryl," he replied, "Was drivin' down the road, saw yer cars. What's it, power in numbers or some shit?" The rest of the group had come out to see what was going on now.

"And why should we trust some redneck who's already snuck up on us once?' the man snapped.

"Now hang on Shane," an older man spoke up, stepping forward. "Can you hunt?"

"Hunt," Daryl nodded, "And track. Me an' my brother have taken down some big deer. Could do it again."

"Your brother, where is he?" the old man asked.

"Back a' the truck," Daryl replied.

"Why didn't he come with you?" Shane asked.

"Didn't wanna leave the truck alone," Daryl said.

"Smart," the old man nodded, "I'm Dale, why don't you go tell your brother to bring the truck around."

"Hold up," a large man standing near the back said, "We're just gonna let a couple rednecks come along? He's probably gonna go back to get his 'brother' and come back with a group to steal our shit."

Daryl looked the man up and down immediately disliked him. Standing there with his arm around a woman with short, gray hair and his hand on the shoulder of a little girl, Daryl could immediately tell what sort of man he was.

"I seriously doubt-" Dale started.

"Ed's right," Shane interrupted, "We've got no reason to trust you. So why should we? How do we know you're not here to steal our stuff?"

"We don't have a group," Daryl said, "It's jus' the three of us."

"Three of you?" a blonde woman said from the back, "I thought you said it was just you and your brother?"

"Me an' my brother," Daryl nodded, "An'… my son."

"Your son?" Shane said and Daryl nodded.

"How old is he?" Dale asked.

"Five," Daryl told him, "Look, we ain't here ta steal yer shit, a'right? We'll stay outta yer way, won't even talk ta none of ya. Jus' figure, like I said, numbers right?"

"I say we let 'em come," the blonde woman said, "Come on Shane, if we can't trust each other then there's no hope for any of us."

"Shane," a dark haired woman stepped forward, "Let's give 'em a chance. He says he's got a son… What if it was Carl?"

Daryl assumed the boy standing with her must be Carl and he stared at Shane, waiting for him to make a decision.

"Fine," Shane lowered the gun, "But if you or your brother try anything funny, you're out."

Daryl nodded before walking back into the forest to get his brother and son.

**Daryl's officially met the group! More introductions and questions to be answered over the next couple chapters. So far this is before the season premier, but we'll get there eventually.**

**Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!**

**Poll is up on my profile so if you want to vote on who you want to live then go check it out!**


	3. Can't We Stay?

Can't We Stay?

Daryl returned in his truck a few moments later with his brother following slowly on his motorcycle as they made their way through the trees. Merle slowly climbed off his bike and watched as his brother exited the truck, lifting Christian down.

"This is my brother, Merle," Daryl said, pointing to him, "This here's Christian."

"Why don't you guys set up camp and then we can talk," Dale suggested, "I'm sure everyone has a lot of questions."

Daryl nodded once and handed a couple things to Christian before leading the boy over to a spot a little ways away from the others. But Merle didn't move.

"You in charge round here old man?" he said, "Cause I don't see us lasting too long out here with some senior citizen leading the charge."

"Actually, I'm in charge around here," Shane stepped forward.

"Great, so now I gotta listen to Officer Friendly and have you breathing down my neck all the time?" Merle ground out and Daryl closed his eyes and sighed. he might as well pack up the truck and drive off now.

"Look, everyone has their jobs here," Shane said, "Everyone does their share, it's the way things work around here."

"The way I see it, the on'y job anyone has anymore is looking after themselves."

"Your brother doesn't seem to see it that way," the blonde woman said.

"I'm pretty certain I would know more about how my brother sees things than some blonde w***e," Merle said and several members of the group opened their mouths to retaliate, but a small voice spoke before they could.

"Shut up Uncle Merle!"

They all turned and saw the little boy, Christian, standing there.

"What didja say ta me boy?" Merle said, glowering at his nephew and Christian shuffled his feet, looking nervous. His uncle had never laid a hand on him, but he still didn't like making Merle angry.

"They're going to make us leave," he said, "And I don' wanna... I don' wanna sleep in the truck again. I wanna stay here. Please Uncle Merle? Can't we stay?" Christian looked at him hopefully and Merle scowled before walking over to where his brother was standing. Without another word he sat with his back against a tree and faced away from the group.

Daryl looked at Shane who nodded and turned away while Daryl went back to setting up their campsite. Christian smiled before running over to help his dad.

The group watched for a while before trickling away. They could ask their questions around the fire tonight.

**There's chapter three! Merle's only been with the group for five seconds and he's already causing trouble.**

**Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!**

**Poll is still up so go check it out if you want! Thanks!**


	4. Safety in Numbers

Safety in Numbers

Shane, Dale, Lori, Andrea, Carl, Ed, Carol, Sophia, Amy, Jacqui, Glenn, T-Dog, and Jim. That was who sat around the fire tonight. Well, most o them, Daryl couldn't actually remember all their names and he sure as hell didn't remember who was who. This group of people who probably wouldn't have even spoken if the dead hadn't started walking. but maybe that was good. Cause there was no way any of these people would've talked to him or Merle if the world hadn't fallen aprt. And yet here they were, sitting around a few, with each and every one of them staring at him and his brother...

Daryl shifted uncomfortably under their gaze and apparently Dale sensed his discomfort.

"So," he said, leaning forward, "How long you boys been on the road?"

"Few days," Merle said.

"Feels like forever," Christian said quietly.

"Course it did, ya slept the whole time," Daryl said and the boy shrugged.

"Where were you headin'?" Shane asked, "I'm guessing you weren't looking for a group?"

"Jus' drivin'," Daryl mumbled, "Not really sure where we goin'. Away from the things tryin' ta eat us."

"Away from those things is usually the best way to go," Glenn said, speaking to them for the first time.

"How long you guys planning on staying?" Shane asked.

"Why? What's a matter Officer Friendly? Want us gone already?" Merle sniped.

"Keep that up and I might just say yes," Shane replied.

"I think everyone needs to settle down," Andrea butted in. She turned to look at Merle and Daryl.

"Look, with everything that's happened, trusting new people isn't always easy, especially around the kids. I'm sure you can understand that." Daryl nodded once and Andrea turned her attention to Shane.

"But, we'll never know if we can trust each other if we don't try. None of us trusted each other when we first met, but like Daryl said, there's power in number. There's _safety_ in numbers. You said you can hunt?" She directed this last part at Daryl.

"Both can," he said.

"Think you could hunt something in these woods?" Dale asked, "Something we could eat?"

Daryl nodded, but said nothing and looked at Shane again.

"Everyone does their share, right?" she said, "I think these guys could be a real help.

"I agree with Andrea," Carol spoke for the first time.

"Do ya now?" Ed said.

"Yes," Carol said, her voice much quieter now, "Andrea's right, how can we trust them if we don't even give them a chance? Besides, are we really going to send them out to fend for themselves when they've got a child with them?"

"We've taken pretty good care of him so far," Merle said and Daryl glanced at his brother. It had always been him and Merle against the world. but with the dead walking... even Daryl would admit - to himself, not to anyone else - that having more people around who could protect Christian made him feel slightly less on edge. Now if Merle would just keep his trap shut...

"I think they should stay too," Lori said, "What if it was Carl? Or Sophia? Or Eliza or Louis? I say we give them a chance."

Shane huffed, "Fine, but nothing funny, got it?"

"Aye, aye, cap'n," Merle saluted mockingly before he stood and sauntered over to their tent.

"C'mon," Daryl said quietly to Christian. The boy hopped up and followed his dad over to where his uncle lay.

"I don't like this," Shane said.

"Just give them a chance," Andrea said.

"A chance is all they're gonna need ta rob us blind," Shane said, "I don't trust 'em. Either of 'em. I can already tell merle is going to be a problem."

"Then forget Merle for a second," Dale said, "Daryl seems a lot more willing to cooperate and he's got a five year old to think of. I reckon he cares enough about that boy to make sure he doesn't cause trouble."

"They're rednecks," Ed stumbled to his feet, "They don't care about nothin'."

WALKINGDEADWALKINGDEADWALKINGDEADWALKINGDEADWALKING

Over at Daryl and Merle's tent, there was a similar conversation going on.

"I don't like this," Merle said as his brother and nephew sat down.

"Tough," Daryl grunted.

"Look, they already think we're gonna rob 'em, so why not just do it?" Merle said.

"No way," Daryl said, "Look, we don't gotta talk to 'em or nothin'-"

"Naw, we just gotta hunt for 'em," Merle snapped, "Lazy pricks."

"We'd be huntin' anyway," Daryl countered, "So wha's it matter? Not like us three could eat a whole deer 'fore the meat went bad. 'sides, they got kids tha' need ta eat."

"Forget the kids!" Merle said.

"Should I forget yer nephew too then?" Daryl challenged, "Huh? My son, should I forget him?" Merle was silent.

"Tha's what I thought," Daryl sighed, "We ain't robbin' 'em. If we're here, you and me can go huntin' and Christian can stay here with people, where it's safe."

"No way!" the boy protested, "I ain't stayin' here! I'm comin' with you! I can hunt too!"

"Not this time," Daryl shook his head, "we don' know how things are in this area yet. I ain't walkin' in blind with ya." Christian scowled and kicked at the dirt.

"Hey, c'mon," Daryl said, "Once we know the layout round here then ya can come, but until then yer stayin' here."

"Who ya gonna leave 'im with?" Merle asked, "The one who pointed a shotgun at us? Or how about blondie? She seemed ta like ya.

"I'll talk ta the old guy, Dale," Daryl said, "He seems a'right." Merle scoffed and shook his head, but Daryl ignored him s Christian started yawning.

"Come on kid, bed," he said, standing and lifting his son to his feet. They walked over to the tent and Daryl got his son settled before laying down next to him.

"We're not gonna steal from 'em, are we daddy?" Christian asked quietly.

"Naw buddy," Daryl replied, "We ain't doin' that. We're gonna stick around here for a while."

**Alright, chapter four! For some reason every time I typed Christian's name I kept spelling it 'Christmas' so if I did that anywhere let me know and I'll fix it!**

**Thanks so much for reading! Check out the poll and let me know what you think!**


	5. Babysitting

Babysitting

The next morning, Daryl was up earlier than most of the others for which he was glad. The only other one who seemed to be up was Dale, which Daryl would soon learn was a common thing, for the older man to be awake before the others.

"Hey Daryl," the man greeted, "First night okay?"

"Yeah, fine," Daryl shrugged, "Listen, I know we jus' got here and you people don' like us or trust us or whatever-"

"I don't know you well enough to like or dislike you yet," Dale said, "And trust will come with time."

"Right," Daryl said, "Well, I was wonderin' if I could leave Christian with ya? Me an' Merle were gonna go huntin', but I don' wanna bring him along yet. Not 'til I know the area better... Ye seemed to be the on'y one givin' us a chance here so..."

"I'll keep an eye on him," Dale said and Daryl nodded his thanks.

"He, uh, he's pretty sufficient on his own," Daryl said, "Jus' don' wanna leave him with a bynch a people he don' know. Don' really got a choice though."

"Don't worry," Dale said, "I'll take care of him. No one at this camp would hurt a child, even if they don't trust you yet."

Daryl nodded again and walked back to his tent, planning on waking his brother up to get him ready for hunting. They were finally ready an hour later and when Daryl walked back over to the RV with his son at his side, everyone else was up. He tried to ignore the looks everyone gave him as Dale climbed down off the top of the RV.

"Ye listen ta Dale, a'right?" Daryl said.

"I will," Christian replied, "Still don' see why i can't come with ya."

"Not yet," Daryl said for the millionth time, "Later. When we know the area better I'll take ya."

Christian nodded reluctantly and watched miserably as his father walked away to join his uncle and the two Dixons walked into the forest.

"Come on," Dale said to the forlorn boy, "How'd you like to help me keep watch?"

"Okay," Christian sighed and shrugged his shoulders. Christian started up the ladder with Dale following closely behind, making sure he didn't fall. It only took about half an hour for Christian to cheer up. Dale had him looking through the spare binoculars he had, but the boy wasn't looking for walkers, he was looking for birds.

Dale had a book on ornithology and had figured that with hunters for a father and uncle, the boy would probably pick up on what he was seeing pretty quickly. And he'd been right. Christian was a natural and he was having a great time pointing out all the birds he saw to Dale.

"Do ya think I can show my daddy some when him and Uncle Merle get back?" Christian asked.

"I don't see why not," Dale smiled.

"Hey you two," Amy said, "Breakfast is ready if you want some."

"Why don't you head on down and get some," Dale said.

"Wha' 'bout you?" Christian asked.

"I'll get some soon," Dale smiled, "You go on."

Christian started down the ladder and when he was close enough Amy lifted him down. She led him over to the others and a woman with grey hair handed him a plate of food.

"Thanks," Christian said quietly. Everyone was staring at him and suddenly wished his daddy or uncle was there with him. He walked back over tot he RV and saw down, leaning against the tire. He ate quietly and quickly, wanting to get back tot eh sanctuary that was the roof of the RV.

"You don't half to sit over here by yourself."

Christian looked up, squinting against the sun, to see the same woman who'd given him his breakfast standing there.

"No one wants me over there," he mumbled and she squatted down.

"Sure we do-" she stared, but Christian cut her off.

"No ya don't," he shook his head adamantly, "I heard my uncle say las' night that ya didn' wan' us here. 'sides, my daddy don' like me talkin' ta people I don' know."

She looked thoughtful for a moment, "My name's Carol. The little girl over there is my daughter, Sophia. That boy she's sitting with is Carol and the woman next to him is his mother, Lori. I know that's probably a lot for you to remember."

"I can remember," he said quickly, "I ain't stupid." Carol didn't say anything for a moment.

"I know your father left you with Dale, but when breakfast us done me and Lori do some schoolwork with Carl and Sophia. Would you like to join us?"

"I'm supposed ya stay with Dale," Christian commented.

"How about I sit with you?" Dale suggested, climbing down from the RV, "Glenn's taking over watch for a bit."

Christian thought for a moment before finally nodding.

"Alright," Carol smiled, "Just come on over when you're done eating, okay?"

Christian nodded, staring down at his plate. Dale grabbed his own food and then slowly lowered himself down next to the boy.

"I know trusting new people can be hard," Dale said, "But Carol's really nice and I think you'll get along well with Sophia and Carl."

Christian nodded again, but still remained quiet. Dale sighed, but he was so different than he had been five minutes ago on top of the RV so Dale decided to try a new tactic.

"You excited to do some schooling with the others?" he asked, but Christian only shrugged. "Come on, reading and writing! Maybe even some mathematics. It'll be fun!"

"I can't read," Christian mumbled, "Or write. An' what are mat-matmatics?"

Dale could've slapped himself. Of course the boy couldn't read yet, he was only five! And here he was going on about it!

"Well, that's alright," Dale assured him, "Because the great thing about school is that you can learn all those things."

"But what if they laugh at me?" Christian asked, looking up at him with wide, blue eyes.

"No one'll laugh at you," Dale said, "Now come o, let's go learn something! Think of all the stuff you can show your dad when he gets back."

Dale knew the boy was sold then. Christian got to his feet and slowly made his way over to where Carol, Lori, Carl, and Sophia sat.

"E-Excuse me?" Christian said, suddenly feeling inexplicably shy. She turned to him, smiling kindly. "Can- Can ya teach me ta read?"

Carol's smile widened and she helped him into a chair. Dale sat on his other side and watched as Carol wrote out the first half of the alphabet.

"Before we teach you to read, you need to know the letters," she said and Christian watched and listened in fascination as she went over each one with him.

**Chapter five and we've got some Carol-Christian bonding going on. Also some Dale-Christian. I don't know why, but I just have this idea in my head that Dale would've been the one to really give Daryl and Merle a chance when they first joined the camp.**

**Today marks me being on for six years! It's so crazy to me that I've been writing stories here for six years. It started off as just something I did for fun because I loved writing so much and it's literally inspired me to pursue writing as a career. Thank you so so much to everyone who has read any of my stories as well as to anyone who has favourited/followed/reviewed! It means so much to me so thank you!**

**Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!**


	6. The Alphabet

The Alphabet

Daryl and Merle trudged back to camp slowly. Merle was dragging a deer behind him while Daryl carried the squirrels and rabbits they had caught.

"Not a bad haul baby brother," Merle smirked.

Daryl nodded in agreement, "Should feed the group for a couple days."

Merle sighed, but said nothing. The older Dixon still wasn't thrilled with the idea of hunting for everything. They had just broken through the trees when they heard a shout.

Christian came barrelling towards them and Daryl quickly shifted the squirrels to one shoulder so he could lift his son.

"Daddy! Guess what?" Christian said, sounding more excited than Daryl had heard in a long time. he continued before Daryl could utter a word. "Dale showed me how ta spot birds with binoculars an' Carol's teaching me how ta read!"

"She is?" Daryl said.

"Uh huh, can I show ya?" Christian asked, "I know the whole first half of the alphabet!"

"Sure bud," Daryl chuckled, "Why don't you should me while we skin these?"

"Okay!"

Daryl listened as Christian repeated the letters A-L over and over again. School had never been a big affair in the Dixon house for as long as Daryl could remember. But before the world had fallen apart, Daryl had hoped Christian would have a better time at school than he did. Now the dead were walking around and all thoughts of educating Christian in anything but survival had gone out the window.

"How was that daddy?" Christian asked after finishing it again.

That was great bud," Daryl said proudly and Christian beamed at him. "Did ya thank Carol for teachin' ya?"

Christian thought for a moment. "I think so," he said finally, "But I'm gonna go do it again!" He ran off and Daryl chuckled.

"Don't see why he wants ta read so badly," Merle said, walking over, Not like we got anythin' fer him ta read out here."

"If he really wants ta read I'll find sumthin' fer him ta read," Daryl said, "He ain't been this excited in ages so don't say nothin' to 'im." Merle held up his hands in surrender and walked away just as Christian ran back.

"I told her!" he said and then began reeling off the alphabet again. They eventually got the squirrels and rabbits cooked and everyone say around their fires to eat. Daryl, Merle, and Christian sat away from the others again, but after a while Shane walked over.

"Ye here ta tell us ta leave?" Merle asked, "We fed ya and now we gotta go?"

"No, actually, I was coming to say thanks for bringing back this stuff," Shane said, "Everyone's real happy about it."

Daryl nodded at Shane once and the man nodded back.

"We ain't gonna kick you out," Shane said and his eyes shifted from Daryl to Christian. "This seems like a pretty good set up for everyone." Daryl nodded again in understanding and Shane walked away as Merle snorted.

"Ya, we'll see how long that lasts." He stood and walked into their tent. Daryl sighed, rolling his eyes as Christian scooted closer to him, leaning against his dad's leg tiredly.

"I don't wanna leave daddy," Christian mumbled, "I like it here."

"I know bud, we ain't leaving," Daryl said quietly. Christian drifted off to sleep and Daryl sat quietly, staring at the low burning fire. He wasn't sure how long he sat there, but eventually Carol walked over and he realized most people had gone to bed.

Daryl looked up at the mousy woman, waiting for her to speak.

"Um, sorry to bother you," she said, "I just wanted to make sure it was okay with you that I taught Christian to read. I know I should've asked you first... It's just he was so excited and-"

"It's fine," Daryl interrupted, "Teach him whatever ya want."

"Oh, okay," Carol said, looking relieved.

"He ain't never been ya school before and it don' look like he'll be goin' now so if ya don' mind-"

"I don't," she said immediately, "He's a sweet boy. I like teaching him. He learns fast."

"Good thing in the world now, huh?" Daryl said and Carol nodded, smiling slightly.

"Uh, I should get back, my daughter needs to go to bed. Sorry again for bothering you." She started to walk away.

"Hey!" Daryl called after her and she turned around, "Ya ain't botherin' me."

She nodded again, giving him an actual smile this time, before walking over to her daughter and going in to their tent.

**So, even though Christian is this little rough and tough mini Daryl, he's still a kid and I figure he'd still be pretty pleased with himself for learning his alphabet.**

**Also, there is a chance Sophia may die in one these stories. I know a lot of people want her to live (I've had more votes for her to live than any other character) and she will live for sure in at least one of them, possibly both. I just haven't totally decided yet. I can promise that if she does die in one of them, other characters that are dead in the show will survive in this.**

**Thanks so much for reading! New chapter will be up next week! Let me know what you think!**


	7. Heading to Atlanta

Heading to Atlanta

A couple days later and Daryl was getting ready to go hunting again. This time, however, his brother wouldn't be going with him. Merle was a short ways from him, getting ready to go on a run to Atlanta.

"Do ya have ta go Uncle Merle?" Christian asked.

"Ya bud, we need supplies," Merle said, not looking up.

"But ya go hunting ta get food," Christian argued, "That's more important! Can't ya jus' do that?"

"Naw, gonna go see wha' I can find in Atlanta," Merle said. Daryl watched his son carefully and saw the boy's face fall. He looked around himself for a moment before he finally found something to throw at his brother.

"Wha-" Merle turned, but before he could say anything, Daryl pointed to Christian. Merle followed his brother's gaze and sighed. He went over to his nephew and sat down.

"Wha's a matter?" he asked.

"What if you go and somethin' bad happens?" Christian asked, "What if ya don' come back?"

"'m gonna come back kid," Merle said.

"But what if ya don'?" Christian said, looking up at him.

"Wha' do we always say? Huh?" Merle asked, "Ain't nothin' can kill a Dixon..."

"But a Dixon," Christian finished with a sigh, "But now there's dead people walkin' around and they could get ya! I don' want 'em ta get ya!"

"Ain't nothin' gonna get me," Merle told him, "Ye don' gotta worry 'bout tha', a'right?"

Christian nodded, but still didn't look pleased.

"What're ye gonna do today?" Daryl asked his son, trying to distract him.

"Carol's gonna show me how ta write letters, Christian said quietly, "She said soon I'll be able ta write my name."

"Well, that'll be fun, won't it?" Daryl asked, trying to sound enthusiastic, but Christian merely shrugged.

DIXONFAMILYMATTERSDIXONFAMILYMATTERSDIXONFAMILYMATTERS

It was later that day and the group heading for Atlanta were just about to set off.

"Don' do nothin' stupid," Daryl said and Merle laughed, clapping him on the back.

"Relax baby brother," he said and then reached over to ruffle Christian's hair. "Ye be good. An' don' worry 'bout me." Christian nodded, trying to look tougher than he actually felt at that moment. The group left and Daryl led his son over to the RV. He was going hunting overnight and Dale had volunteered to watch Christian again.

"Ye listen ta Dale, a'right? An' Carol," Daryl said.

"I will," Christian sighed, "Yer gonna come back right?"

"Ya, I'll be back," Daryl said, "I'll try an' be back tomorrow, but if I'm not don' panic, a'right?"

"I won't," Christian said and then hugged his dad tightly before running over to Carol.

"I should be back tomorrow," Daryl called up to Dale, "But if I'm not-"

"He'll be looked after, don't you worry," Dale assured him. Daryl nodded once before walking off into the forest.

Dale looked over at where Christian sat with Carol, Lori, Sophia, and Carl and smiled. Daryl had nothing to worry about, Christian would be well looked after here.

**I like the idea of Merle being a caring uncle. Even if he is kind of an asshat to everyone, I like the idea that he takes care of his nephew.**

**Also, I apologize for any spelling errors. It's a bit more difficult to spell check when you're deliberately spelling some words wrong as part of speech. I hope I'm going okay with the way Merle, Daryl, and Christian speak. I've read a lot of fanfics and watched the episodes over and over to try to get right so I hope I am.**

**Finally, I'm going to be adding the most recent character death from Season 5B to the poll so you guys can vote if you want this person to live. I've been waiting a couple weeks to make sure people had seen the episode so if you haven't yet be warned that there will be spoilers in the poll as of tomorrow.**

**Thanks so much for reading this chapter! Make sure to check out the poll on my profile and vote!**

**Let me know what you think!**


	8. Where is He?

Where's Is He?

Daryl didn't return the next day. Or the next. Or even the next. And it was getting harder to distract Christian.

"Do you want to look for more birds today?' Dale asked the boy, but Christian shook head, keeping the binoculars trained on the forest.

"He'll be back soon," Dale tried to assure him.

"How do ya know?" Christian asked, "He said he'd back an' he's not. Uncle Merle said he'd be back an' he's not."

"You're right," Dale said reluctantly, "We don't know happened in Atlanta, but I'm sure they'll be back soon. As for your dad, he said that if wasn't back you shouldn't worry, right?"

Before Christian could say anything, a loud, screeching siren reverberated around them.

"What is that?" Lori asked and Shane ran over to the RV.

"Dale?" he called up to the older man as Dale scanned the trees with his binoculars.

"Nothing," Dale shook his head, "Wait a minute."

"What is it?" Amy asked.

"Stolen car by the looks of it," he replied. Sure enough, the speeding, screeching car pulled into their camp and Glenn got out, smiling widely.

"Would you turn that thing off?" Dale shouted at him. Christian stood next to him, covering his ears against the noise.

"Turn it off!" Shane yelled.

"I don't know how," Glenn said, opening the hood so Shane could look as Dale and Christian climbed down and walked over. Shane and Dale managed to get the siren to stop just as a truck pulled up behind them and the rest of the Atlanta group pulled out.

Christian stood back and watched Amy ran to hug her sister and Morales reunited with his family. He watched as Carl ran to hug his dad, which confused Christian because Carl had told him his dad was dead. Everyone around him was so happy to be reunited with their friends and family. Every except Christian. The little boy stepped forward, staring at the truck as if expecting his uncle to jump out. He turned to face the others.

"Where's my uncle?" he asked loudly and everyone fell silent.

"Where's my uncle?" Christian repeated, "Where is he?" He looked at Andrea and Jacqui and Glenn and everyone else who'd just come back from Atlanta and saw how sad they looked.

"Christian-" Andrea stepped towards him, but he ignored her and took off to the tent he had been sharing with his dad and uncle. He lied on the sleeping bag, crying and wishing his dad was back.

**So, without giving away any spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen it, can I just say how much I loved Sunday's episode? The whole episode had me on the edge of my seat and the Daryl-Carol interaction was adorable.**

**Thanks so much for reading this chapter! Let me know what you think!**


	9. I Ain't Leavin' Ya

I Ain't Leavin' Ya

Christian woke up to the sound of shouting. He didn't remember falling asleep and he didn't know how long it had been, but he definitely knew that voice.

"You tied my brother to a roof? And you left him there!" Daryl shouted. He paced back and forth, breathing heavily. He'd spent the past three days out in the woods tracking a deer, only for a walker to get the damn thing. Now he gets back to camp and finds this new guy, Rick Grimes, telling him they had abandoned his brother to the geeks in Atlanta. Merle was a dick, but even he didn't deserve that. Before he could think on it too much though, a voice had cried out behind him.

"Daddy!"

Daryl turned just in time to catch Christian as the boy flew into his arms. Daryl lifted his son up, holding him close as Christian wrapped his arms around his dad's neck.

"Uncle Merle's gone!" Christian cried, his voice muffled from where he had his face pressed into Daryl's shoulder.

"Shhh, I know," Daryl hushed him.

"He's gone! He told me not ta worry! He said he'd come back and now Uncle Merle's gone!" Christian sobbed and Daryl ran his hand up and down the little boy's back. He threw a dirty look at the rest of the group before walking over to his tent and going inside.

"Shhh, shhh," Daryl hushed his son, sitting down. "It's a'right."

"No it's not!" Christian cried, "Ya said ya'd be back! Ya said ya'd come back an' ya didn't! Uncle Merle said he'd come back and now he-he's gone!"  
"I know bud, I'm sorry," Daryl said, "It took me longer than I thought to find something."

Christian continued to cry, pressing his face into Daryl's shirt and Daryl was suddenly reminded how young Christian actually was. Even before the world went to shit, Christian was used to going with very little. He had more than Daryl and Merle had, both men had made sure of that. But still, he definitely didn't live like most five year olds. However, it was times like these when Daryl was reminded that Christian was only a child.

"Shhh," Daryl whispered, "'m sorry bud. It's gonna be a'right. 'm gonna go ta Atlanta, a'right? And 'm gonna look fer Uncle Merle."

"But what if ya don' come back?" Christian whispered.

"I will," Daryl said, "I don' know when. It could take one day or two or whatever. But I ain't leavin' ya kid, understand?"

Christian nodded and snuggled closer into his father's hold.

"Go ta sleep kid," Daryl murmured, "'m gonna talk ta the others. ye get some sleep."

"Don' leave 'fore I wake up, 'kay?" Christian mumbled sleepily.

"I won'," Daryl assured him as he lied the little boy down and covered him up. He sat there for a moment as Christian drifted off before going out to deal with the people who had abandoned his brother.

**I won't actually be showing the group going and looking for Merle, I'm going to be focusing on Christian in the camp. More will start happening with Caryl and other members of the group once they leave the Quarry. The CDC/Greene farm is where things will start veering off from the show.**

**Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!**


	10. Laundry Drama

Laundry Drama

**Warning: Violence**

"Hey."

Carol looked up and saw Daryl standing there.

"Hi," she said quietly.

"Could ya do sumthin' fer me?" Daryl asked and Carol looked at him in surprise.

"Yeah, sure," she said, "What do you need?"

"Can ya take care of Christian while I go ta Atlanta?" he asked.

"Of course," she smiled at him. "I've got some laundry and stuff to do today, but I can keep an eye on him. And I'm sure Sophia would love to have someone to play with today."

"Thanks," Daryl nodded at her, "He's over by the RV eating righ' now, but I'll tell him ta listen ta ya. So..."

"Alright, don't worry," Carol smiled at him at him, "I'll take care of him."

Daryl nodded again and then walked away.

"Hey kid," he said, crouching next to his son.

"Are ya leavin' now?" Christian asked.

"Ya, but Carol's gonna look after ya today, a'right?" Daryl said.

"Okay," Christian replied, "Are ya gonna find Uncle Merle?"

"Gonna try bud," Daryl ruffled Christian's hair as he stood, "Be good now." He walked away and climbed into the van they'd be taking to Atlanta, honking at the others to hurry up.

Carol walked over to Christian just as they left and sat down.

"Alright, so I'm going to be doing some laundry today with Andrea, Amy, and Jacqui, but you can play with Sophia if you want to," Carol said.

"Can I help you?" Christian asked.

"You want to help with the laundry?" Carol asked and Christian nodded.

"I helped daddy clean up sometimes when we were at home," he told here, "Uncle Merle doesn't like cleaning."

"I think it would be great if you helped!" Carol said cheerfully and Christian smiled at her.

"Helped with what?" Andrea asked, walking by.

"Christian's going to help us with the laundry today," Carol said.

"He is?' Andrea smiled at him, "Well, with his help we should have it done in no time."

He beamed up at her before following the four women down tot he water and Carol was pleased to see he wasn't worrying about his dad and uncle. They sat by the water, talking and laughing as they washed the group's clothes. Christian didn't actually do much washing, but all the women made sure he was included. Everything was going great until Ed walked over.

"What's all the noise about?" the man asked.

"Just swapping war stories Ed," Andrea said, but the large man didn't leave. He continued to hover over them and Christian started shifting nervously. There weren't a lot of people he was scared of. He was a Dixon and his uncle had always told him Dixons weren't scared of nothing! Plus, after growing up with his Uncle Merle, a person would have to be _really _terrifying to scare Christian. Ed Peletier definitely fell into the category of really terrifying. He didn't look up at the man, trying to focus on helping Carol. He shifted a little closer to her which Carol and the other women noticed.

"Problem Ed?" Andrea asked.

"None that concerns you," Ed said, staring at Carol, "You should focus on your work. This ain't no damn comedy club."

Carol didn't say anything and they tried to ignore him, but Andrea could.

"Tell you what Ed, you don't like how your laundry's done you are more than welcome to do it yourself." Andrea threw the shirt at him and Ed threw it back with much more force.

"It ain't my job missy," he said and then looked at Christian, "It ain't his job either. Jus' cause his daddy ain't here don't mean you ladies can turn him into some sort of pussy. C'mere." He made to grab Christian, but the boy moved back, falling into the water, just as Carol stepped in front of him.

"Leave him alone Ed," she said and he glared at her murderously.

"What did you say?"

"I-I-" she stammered, cowering under his gaze.

Amy had helped Christian out of the water and now the boy was staring up at Ed in hatred. He hated the man who had made him fall in the lake and he hated the man who was scaring Carol. She was the nicest lady Christian had ever met and Ed was awful to her and Sophia!

Christian wasn't scared any more. Well, not as much as he had been. No, now he was _mad_. He let go of Amy's hand and stomped past Carol. Ed didn't even notice the little boy was there until he felt a sharp pain in his ankle as Christian kicked him as hard as he could.

"You little-" Ed growled, reaching down and grabbing Christian's arm before the boy could move away.

"Let me go!" Christian shouted.

"Ed, stop it!" Carol screamed as she and the others tried to get Ed to let the little boy go. Ed slapped Carol and she stumbled back, Jacqui catching her before she could fall over. Before they could do anything more though, Shane had come over and dragged Ed away, beating on him.

"Shane stop it!" they started screaming, but Shane just kept the punches coming.

"I'm sorry!" Christian cried and Carol lifted him up. "I'm sorry!"

"Shhh, it's not your fault," she hugged him tightly. "Shhh, it's alright now."

**Every time I watch season one I rage at Ed, especially in this scene. I figured Christian wouldn't really want to stand for that.**

**Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think! Go check out the poll on my profile and let me know who you want to see live!**


	11. The Quarry

The Quarry

It was later that night and Christian was sitting away from the others. Carol left Sophia sitting next to Lori and went over to him.

"Hey sweetheart, you alright?" she asked, crouching down. Christian shrugged.

"You know, you don't have to be scared of Ed," Carol said quietly, "I'm not going to let him hurt you again and when your dad finds out..."

"I'm not scared," Christian murmured.

"No? Then why are you upset?"

"It's my fault he hit ya," Christian mumbled.

"What?" Carol said in shock, "How was that your fault?"

"I kicked him and made him angry," Christian said, "Then he hit ya."

"Oh, Christian, that wasn't your fault," Carol said gently, "Ed isn't... He isn't a good man. Whether you kicked him or not, he would have done something bad."

"I wanted him to leave ya alone," Christian looked up at her, "He was scaring ya and that ain't fair. Ya didn't do anythin'."

"Unfortunately some people don't see it that way," Carol rubbed his back, "But you know what? I'm grateful that you defended me. That was really brave of you."

"Daddy says we need ta protect each other more than ever now," Christian said and Carol smiled. "He said we 'specially need ta protect people we care about."

"Yeah?" Carol said and Christian nodded. Carol wrapped her arm around his shoulders and hugged him gently. She had half been expecting him to pull away, but instead he squeezed her tightly.

"Come on, let's go sit by the fire and warm up," she said, taking his hand and walking over. He sat between her and Sophia, eating fish and laughing with the others. Everything felt good again. Even though his dad and uncle weren't here right now, things seemed to be okay.

Until, in an instant, they weren't. A scream pierced the air and they all turned to see a walker attacking Amy. Everyone panicked. Lori grabbed Carl and reached a hand out for Carol, gesturing for the other woman to follow.

Carol stood and went to grab Sophia and Christian, but the little boy was gone.

"Where's Christian?" she asked, gripping her daughter's shoulder.

"He ran!" Sophia cried, "I'm sorry!"

"Shhh, it's okay," Carol hugged her daughter close and pulled her along behind Lori, Carl, and Shane. She kept looking around, trying to find the youngest Dixon.

"Shane, what do we do?" Lori cried.

"Stay close!" Shane shouted, "Get to the RV!"

"Momma, look!" Sophia shouted and Carol looked, feeling the blood drain from her face. Christian was standing there, gun in hand, seemingly frozen, as a walker stumbled towards him.

"Christian!" she shouted. Just as the walker reached him, Jim appeared, scooping the boy up and moving him out of the way. Carol lifted him into her arms just as the others returned to camp and began killing the walkers, one by one. She and Lori held the children close and waited until the gunfire had stopped before finally relaxing their hold.

"Dad!" Carl shouted as he ran to Rick.

"Are you okay?" Carol asked the little boy in her arms, "Did it bite you?"

Christian shook his head, bottom lip trembling, before he burst into tears.

"I'm sorry!" he cried.

"Shhh, it's okay," Carol hushed him, holding both him and her daughter close.

"Christian!"

She looked up to see Daryl walking towards them and released her grip on the boy.

"Daddy!" he held his arms and Daryl lifted him easily, holding the boy tight.

"Shhh, it's a'right buddy," Daryl murmured.

"I'm sorry daddy!" Christian said, crying harshly.

"Shhh, the hell're ya sorry for?" Daryl asked.

"I got scared!" Christian cried, pulling back to look at his dad, "I got the gun you left, but I couldn't do it! I got scared!"

"That's a'right bud, ye don't gotta be sorry," Daryl said, "Yer allowed ta be scared bud, it's a'right now. It's over." He looked over at Carol and Sophia.

"Ye a'right?" he asked and Carol nodded.

"I didn't notice he was gone until he had already run off," she said, "I'm-"

"Don't say it," Daryl cut her off, "Sick of all these sorrys. Ain't no one's fault. All we can do now is deal with it an' move on." She nodded and looked down at Sophia, kissing the top of her daughter's head.

"C'mon," Daryl said, tilting his head. He led them over to the others and stood with the rest of the group.

What Daryl said was true. They needed to deal with what had happened and move on. But how?"

**Sorry to anyone who had voted for Amy and Ed to live. Their fate was pretty much sealed in both stories from the get go, but I still wanted to give you guys a chance to vote on them.**

**Also, I will be including the most recent deaths in the poll tomorrow so go vote if you want certain people to live! I'll also be removing any characters who have died in both stories up to this point.**

**Thanks so much for voting and let me know what you think!**


	12. Being a Family

Being a Family

**Note: Apologies for the obnoxiously long author's note at the end of this chapter, just wanted to make sure some things were cleared up :)**

"Are you okay?" Christian asked quietly. He and Sophia were sitting at the table in the RV. Carl was supposed to be with them, but he had snuck back outside as soon as his mother had left.

"I'm fine," Sophia shrugged.

"'m sorry about yer dad," Christian said and she shrugged again.

"He wasn't a very good day," she said, "He hurt momma and me. Now he can't."

Christian nodded as he pulled at a hole in his jeans.

"Are _you_ okay?" Sophia asked him.

"I couldn't do it," Christian mumbled, "I tried ya shoot the walker, but I got scared."

"Your dad said it was okay that you got scared," Sophia said, "And momma tells me all the time that it's okay to be scared."

"Not against walkers," Christian shook his head, "If you don't shoot 'em, ya die. Or someone dies. I don't want anyone ta die cause of me."

Sophia stood from her seat and slid in next to me, putting her arm around the younger boy.

"Don't worry," she said, "Next time you get scare, I'll protect you."

"You will?" Christian asked, looking up at her curiously.

"Uh huh," she nodded earnestly, "Momma said everyone here needs to help protect each other. And since she looks after you whenever your daddy isn't here, I figure that kind of makes you like my little brother which means I'm gonna protect you no matter what."

"I'll protect ya too," Christian said seriously, "Maybe I can teach ya ta shoot! Then if I ever get scared again ya might be able ta do it instead!"

Sophia opened her mouth to answer, but before she could say anything there was a shout outside. The children exchanged looks before running to the door of the RV.

"Jim's been bit! A walker got Jim!" Jacqui exclaimed, pointing at the man.

DIXONFAMILYMATTERSDIXONFAMILYMATTERSDIXONFAMILYMATTERS

The group was standing around, trying to figure out what to do about Jim.

"I don't want Jim to die," Sophia murmured as she, Christian, and Carl say a short ways away from the adults. The distance did nothing though and the three kids could still hear the adults arguing over whether to kill Jim now or not.

Christian nodded in agreement with her and looked over at where the sick man sat. He stood and walked over slowly.

"Hey kid," Jim said, attempting to smile.

"Hi," Christian murmured.

"You okay?" Jim asked and Christian nodded. "Sorry if I scared ya last night."

"Ye saved me," Christian said, "The walker was gonne get me and ya pulled me outta the way."

"Well, I couldn't let ya get bit, could I?" Jim chuckled slightly, but it turned into a cough. Christian gasped and took a step back, frightened.

"It's okay," Jim said, holding up his hands, "See? Everything's okay."

"Yer bit," Christian said, "It ain't okay."

Jim looked down at his lap. He didn't know what to say to that.

"Is it cause of me?" Christian asked and Jim looked up at him in shock, "Didja get bit cause of me?"

"No!" Jim said immediately and the group looked over at the noise.

"But ya pulled me outta the way and-"

"And I was already bit," Jim said, resting his hands on the boy's shoulders. "I was already bit when I saw that walker going after you. This isn't your fault, got that?"

Christian nodded, wiping at his eyes.

"Everythin' a'right?" Daryl asked, walking over and standing behind his son.

"I was just telling Christian here that me bein' bit wasn't his fault," Jim explained.

"Course it wasn't yer fault," Daryl said, looking down at the boy. "Why would ya think that?" Christian shrugged, leaning back against his father's legs.

"Ya'll make a decision yet?" Jim asked and Daryl looked him over once before nodding.

"Yer gonna be ridin' in the back of the RV," he told him, "Heading ta the CDC."

"I'm not gonna make it all the way to the CDC," Jim admitted.

"Then we'll see how far we do get," Daryl said and then gripped Christian shoulder. "C'mon, gotta get ready ta head out."

**I rewrote this chapter so many times. I really wanted that interaction between Christian and Sophia as I realized we haven't seen a whole lot of it.**

**Somewhere in the next few chapters I'm planning for Caryl to start forming a bit more.**

**Also, I had a review on the last chapter and the person had a few questions and concerns. I answered their questions, but I figured I'd make sure everything was clear for everybody. This person (very nicely, and I'm also abbreviating what they said, it's not word for word) was concerned that Daryl didn't seem to be a very good parent because of a few things. And that Christian was kind of a pointless OC because he wasn't having any affect on Daryl and that Daryl wouldn't be exactly as he is in the show because in this he has a child.**

**I'm not going to go into everything we talked about, but the gist of it is that Daryl isn't a bad parent (at least I don't think so). There was an issue with the gun in the last chapter, but for me I figure that Christian would've been taught how to handle one properly and sure it's dangerous sticking a gun in the hand of a five year, but a gun can be dangerous in the hands of anyone without training and Daryl wouldn't have just handed the thing over if Christian didn't know how to at least hold it properly without accidentally shooting someone in the foot.**

**Christian is having an affect, at least I think he is. I also think Daryl is different in this fic than he is on the show. Maybe not significant, not yet, but Daryl wasn't exactly a chatty and showy guy in season one. When he's in front of the group he is pretty similar to how he is in the show, but I also think he's a lot more affectionate with Christian. And he's going to change, even more than he does in the show because he has his son and this is a Caryl fic so that'll change him.**

**I always worry with these types of notes that I'll accidentally offend or confuse someone, but I just wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page. I'm happy with this story and how it's turning out so far and I hope you are too. I'm doing my best to write these characters and it isn't always going to be perfect.**

**If any of you have questions or concerns or even something you would like to see happen, feel free to let me know! :)**

**Hope you liked this chapter! Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!**


	13. Nightmare

Nightmare

It was late. Daryl was lying on one of the couches in his room at the CDC trying to get some real sleep for the first time he weeks. He was almost out when...

"Daddy?"

He opened his eyes and squinted through the darkness to see Christian standing there.

"Hey bud, wha's a matter?" Daryl asked, groaning as he sat up.

"I can't sleep," Christian mumbled.

"Ya have a bad dream?" Daryl guess and the boy nodded. "C'mere." He lifted Christian up next to him.

"What was it about?" Daryl asked.

"Jim had turned into a walker and it was my fault," Christina said, "And then he bit ya and Carol and Sophia and Dale and everyone."

Daryl sighed, he should have known. Ever since they had left Jim at the side of the road, the boy had been unusually quiet.

"Ye know that wasn't yer fault," Daryl said, "Jim told ya the same thing. And everyone else is fine."

"I know," Christian murmured, "It's still scary though."

Daryl held his son close and rubbed his back gently, hoping the boy would fall back asleep.

"Daddy?" Christian mumbled sleeping, "Do you like Carol?"

Daryl looked down at his son. "She's a'right," he said, not totally sure how he was supposed to answer that.

"But do you _like_ her," Christian persisted, sitting up and looking at his dad.

"Why are you so interested?" Daryl asked.

"I like her," Christian told him, "And Sophia. She said I'm like her little brother cause Carol looks after me whenever yer gone."

"So what's that got ta do with me likin' Carol?" Daryl questioned.

"I dunno," Christian said, "I jus' thought it would be neat if really liked her and she liiked ya... Then we could be a family..." He looked down at his lap, twisting his hands.

Daryl sighed. "Carol's a nice lady," he said awkwardly, "But right now yer my priority, a'right?"

Christian nodded and then look back up at his father, smiling slyly. "But one day?"

Daryl snorted, "Go ta sleep."

**I love Daryl as a dad. I also love Caryl and Daryl and Carol will definitely be growing closer soon. Not jumping straight into a relationship because at this point Carol's still not 100% the badass she is right now in the show and I'm also sort of playing off what Norman Reedus said about Daryl having no game. But it's definitely gonna be going down that track of them getting to know each other better.**

**Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!**


	14. Running

Running

There were cars everywhere and the RV couldn't get through. Not that it mattered much right now as Dale needed to fix it again.

"Where the hell're we gonna find a hose round here?" Dale said, frustrated.

"Right here," Rick said, looking at the cars that surrounded them. Dale's eyes widened in realization.

"Could probably find a whole bunch of parts here," Shane said.

"Water, food," Glenn added, "There's bound to be some."

"This is a graveyard," Lori said and everyone turned to look at her.

"Daddy I'm hungry," Christian said quietly and Daryl nodded. The kids had all eaten a bit that morning, but they were running low on food and unfortunately had to ration carefully.

"These people don't need this stuff," Daryl said, "We do. Unless ya want it ta be our graveyard too."

This seemed to be the only motivation the others needed to set off in search of supplies.

"What are we looking for?" Christian asked.

"Anythin' that'll help us," Daryl told him, "Food, water, weapons, even clothes. Stuff that we need to survive."

Christian nodded in understanding and hopped up to stand on the back of the car after his dad opened the trunk. Daryl started shifting stuff around.

"Daddy I can do it!" Christian protested and Daryl laughed, holding his hands up.

"A'right, a'right," he said, "You look through this stuff, I'll look at this car. Don't go anywhere else, a'right?"

"I won't," Christian said as he sifted through the bags. Daryl moved over to the next car, keeping one eye on his son the whole time.

Daryl found a couple boxes of crackers, boy was he getting sick of those, and some clothes that might fit the kids. he was about to tell Christian it was time to move on when he realized the boy was staring at something.

"Ya find anythin' bug?" Daryl asked and Christian dropped the toy before shaking his head. He climbed out of the car and walked ahead to the next one, waiting for his dad to open the trunk.

Before Daryl did though, he walked over to the first car and grabbed the toy. It was a Captain America figure. Christian hadn't had a lot of toys before the dead started walking. It just wasn't something Daryl could afford. Unfortunately, when the decision came down to toys or food, food won out. He'd had a few things though, some play-doh and lego that Daryl had got second hand and a few comics of the Avengers that Daryl had found cheap. After that Christian would use his lego and play-doh to build the characters in the comics and create his own game with them. But he'd never had an actual figure of one. Daryl walked over to his son, toy in hand.

"Here," he said, handing it to the boy. Christian took it, smiling slightly.

"But it's not food or water or clothes or nothing," Christian said, "Ya said we need stuff to help us survive."

Daryl knelt down in front of his son. "You're allowed ta have toys bud. You're still a kid an' I know things ain't like before, but ya still get ta have fun. Now, ya want him?"

Christian nodded vehemently.

"A'right then, he's yours."

Christian smiled widely and held tight to the toy as Daryl stood and they began looking through the next car. They were heading back to the RV with the stuff they had found so far when Daryl heard the growls and noticed the others getting under cars.

"Christian! Get down!" Daryl hissed and the boy ducked under a car.

Daryl saw T-Dog stumbled around and could tell something was wrong.

"Christian! Stay there!" he said, moving slowly so the walkers didn't see him as he helped T-Dog hide.

Christian looked around, trying not to make any noise as the herd shuffled by. It seemed like forever, but eventually the walkers seemed to be dissipating. Christian saw Sophia peek out from under her car and two walkers that were behind the group immediately spotted her.

"Sophia!" Christian gasped, scrambling out from under his own car as Sophia slid down the hill. He tumbled down after her, landing dangerously close to the walkers. But he was faster getting to his feet than they were and he grabbed Sophia's hand as the two of them ran into the woods.

"They're right behind us!" Sophia said fearfully.

"Come on!" Christian tugged on her hand, "We gotta keep going!"

They ran and ran, their legs burning, twisting and turning through the trees in an attempt to lose the walkers.

"Stop, I can't run anymore," Sophia said miserably.

"I think we lost 'em anyway," Christian said and the two children collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

"Where are we?" Sophia asked, looking around. Christian looked around too, trying to figure out where they were and how to get back to the road. His dad had been teaching him to hunt and track for as long as he could remember, but he had never been out alone before! Now it was just him and Sophia and a bunch of walkers...

"I... I dunno," he said, "C'mon."

They started walking, trying to find their way back to the highway, but it was like they were going in circles. They didn't dare call out for fear of attracting the dead and it was starting to get dark when they stumbled finally stumbled upon a stream.

"We'll stay here tonight," Christian decided.

"We can't stay out here all night!" Sophia protested, "What if walkers come while we're sleeping?"

Christian looked around and dragged Sophia over to a tree.

"Climb up," he said and they both did so. "Now if any walkers come they won't get us. And tomorrow my dad will find us."

"How do you know?"

"Cause he'll find the water and he always says if I get lost I should find water. So he'll know we're here," Christian told her.

"You really think he'll find us?" Sophia asked.

"I know he will," Christian said as seriously as any five year old could. "He's y dad. He won't stop lookin' til he finds us."

**Oh no, what have I done? Now they're both lost! This chapter was really hard to write because I was trying to make sure there was that balance of "a five and nine year old lost in the woods" and "tough little kid trying to show he knows what he's doing".**

**I was really happy with the Daryl-Christian moment though and I hope you liked it too! I don't know why, but that idea came to me ages ago before writing this chapter so I was really excited to write it!**

**Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!**


	15. Breaking Down

Breaking Down

Daryl and Rick slowly made their way back to the highway where the others were waiting. They had been out searching for Sophia and Christian since the two kids ran off into the woods. Now it was getting dark and they still hadn't found them.

"We'll find them Daryl," Rick said and Daryl nodded.

"I know," he said. And it was true. He would find Christian and Sophia if he had to stay out in the forest for weeks.

They made it back to the highway and the look on Carol's face made Daryl want to turn around and go back into the forest and keep looking.

"You didn't find tem?' Carol said, a couple tears leaking from her eyes again.

"Not yet," Rick said, "But we're gonna go back out tomorrow. Daryl's gonna lead this search, he knows the woods better than anyone."

"You can't leave them out there overnight," Carol said, "They're kids."

"They'll be fine," Daryl said calmly.

"How can you be sure?" Lori asked.

"Practically raised Christian in the woods," he replied, "Knows how ta hunt an' can track pretty well. They'll probably find their way back here before we find them."

Carol felt some of her panic ebbing slowly as he spoke. The idea of Sophia out in the woods alone at night was terrifying. But she wasn't alone. out of all the people her daughter could get lost with, a Dixon was probably the best.

The others slowly dispersed, leaving the suddenly child-less parents alone.

"Ya a'right? Daryl asked, mentally cursing himself for asking that.

Carol shook her head. "I know what you're saying is true, about them being fine. But I still can't help but worry. She's only nine and Christian's only five. With walkers out there..."

"They'll be fine," Daryl said again, "'m gonna go out again first thing an' find 'em."

Carol stared at him for a moment before nodding nice. Daryl would find them. He had to. She slowly made her way over toe the RV and went inside, holding back the sobs threatening to escape.

Daryl was left alone and he finally could let his facade slip. But only slightly, with all those prying eyes around... He shook his head and slowly started walking down the highway, between the rows of burnt out cars. Je just really needed to get away from everyone.

"Daryl?"

Or not... Daryl turned to look at Rick.

"What?" he growled.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright," Rick said.

"'m fine," Daryl ground out, turning and walking away again, hoping Rick would get the message."

"Daryl, wait," Rick said, following after him. "Daryl."

"What?" Daryl spun around and Rick nearly ran right into him.

"Daryl, come on man, I know you're not fine," Rick said, "Your son is lost out in the woods, there's no way you can be fine."

"And what d'you care, huh?" Daryl said, getting right in Rick's face, "The hell were you doin' when they ran off?"

"Daryl, I went after 'em as quick as I could, same as you," Rick said calmly.

"Maybe if ya'd got up sooner ya coulda killed those walkers 'fore they ever chased Sophia and Christian out there!"

Daryl was practically nose-to-nose with the other man now, but Rick didn't do anything about it. He stood there as Daryl shouted at him, knowing the other man needed to get this out.

"That's what I shoulda done!" Daryl went on, "I shouldn't a waiting till they were already gone. I shoulda killed those walkers the second they saw her."

"Daryl, there was nothing more you could've done," Rick said, "We'll go back out tomorrow and find them."

"I shoulda found 'em a'ready!" Daryl shouted, "I should be out there now, lookin'. Not here..."

"You said yourself there's no sense bein' out there now," Rick said, "We'd never find 'em in the dark."

"I should be out there," Daryl repeated, his voice strangled as he slumped against the car, the fight apparently draining out of him. "That's my boy... my son... He's all I ghot."

"And we're going to find him," Rick said firmly, "Him and Sophia. You said yerself that Christian will know to do. How to track and protect himself-"

"When he's with me!" Daryl exclaimed, "I ain't ever sent him out on his own! He's five, Rick. He's five and Sophia's nine and they're out there with them geeks... and I'm gonna find 'em, I am... Just..."

"It's okay ta be worried Daryl," Rick said gently, "You're a father, worrying comes with the territory. Especially now."

Daryl nodded and took a deep breath as he straightened up.

"Sorry," he grunted, "For-"

"Don't worry about it," Rick told him, "Like I said, you're allowed to worry. but we will find them, alright?"

Daryl nodded again and the two men began making their way back to the RV.

**Poor Daryl :( I really enjoyed writing this chapter and kind of exploring a different side of Daryl. Hoping that I got that side right while also keeping him in character!**

**Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!**


	16. Kids

Kids

They were running. Crashing through the bushes, not paying attention to the noise they were making.

"Come on!" Sophia tugged on Christian's hand as the boy tried to keep up on his much shorter legs. They had been hanging around the creek for most of the day, waiting to be found. A couple walkers had passed by while they were there and the two children had hidden until the creatures were gone. Sophia had just been telling him that she was worried they weren't going to be found when they had heard a gunshot.

Now they were running towards where they thought the shot had come from.

"Do you think it was them?' Christian huffed.

"Who else could it be?" she replied. They ran for a bit longer before both children had to stop, breathing hard.

"Where are they?' Christian asked.

"I dunno," Sophia said, "It had to be them though. They're probably out here looking for us."

"What if it's not them?" Christian said, his bottom lip trembling slightly. He was cold and he wanted to be back with his dad on the highway.

"Don't be sad Christian," Sophia said, "They're gonna find us, you said they would, remember? You said our dad would find us."

"I know, but what if the walkers get him before he finds us?' Christian said, "I'm hungry and I'm tired and I want my dad."

Sophia hugged him as the boy cried.

'The walkers won't get your dad," she said, "I promise. Come on."

She held his hand and led him through the trees, hoping to find the others. Honestly, she was hungry and tired and cold too. And she really just wanted told be back with her mom. But she had promised Christian she would protect him and she was going to.

"Look Christian!" Sophia exclaimed happily. They had finally broken through the trees and there was a rundown house in front of them. They ran forward.

"Wait," Christian said before Sophia could open the door. "What if there's walkers in there?"

Sophia hesitated before they opened the door slowly, peering in. They didn't see any walkers. They did however, see some food on the counter. They ran inside and grabbed the boxes. There were a couple cans of fruit too which the pair dug into. It might just have been the best thing they had ever had.

"Ya really think my dad'll find us?" Christian asked.

"Yes, he'll find us and then we'll go back with him and see my mom and Carl and Lori and Andrea and Dale and everyone."

"We should stay here till my dad comes," Christian said, "Walkers can't get us in here." Sophia nodded and agreed. They would remain in the little house until someone came for them.

**I'm back! I took a bit of an unexpected break from all my fanfics because life kind of got in the way. I've had a lot going on and while I was still writing constantly, finding the time to type anything except blog posts wasn't really possible for a while.**

**Occasionally there will be times where I need to take a break from updates because there's other stuff going on, but usually I'll let you know in future. **

**Next chapter things differ from the show. Thanks so much for reading this chapter and let me know what you think**


	17. Discovery

Discovery

Daryl groaned, holding tight to the cliff side as he tried to make his way up. He huffed, glancing down at his side where, only a few moments ago, a bolt had been stuck. He cursed himself for the hundredth time at the fact that he actually managed to shoot himself.

"Come on," he muttered to himself, "Quit bein' a pussy." He pulled himself up higher, grunting in frustration as he heard his brother's voice.

_"Yeah, come on little brother, grab your friend Rick's hand."_

Daryl pulled himself over the top of the cliff and collapsed, breathing heavily.

"Prick," he muttered, heaving himself to his feet. He needed to get back to the farm and get the hole in his side fixed up before he could get out again and look for Sophia and Christian.

Daryl slowly started making his way through the forest, cursing the stupid horse for not only throwing him off, but for then running and leaving him here. He grunted at the pain in his side and wiped his face as sweat poured down it.

He kept his eyes peeled as he walked, not wanting to run into any walkers in the condition he was in right now. He was walking for about half and hour when he broke through the trees into a small clearing where a house sat in the middle.

Daryl stumbled forward slowly. Maybe there was something inside he could use to wrap his side better.

Daryl banged loudly on the door, but there was no noise from the other side to indicate walkers or people. The door was locked, but all it took was a couple good shoves for it to open.

He looked around the house and noticed the remnants of recently eaten food. Someone had just been here.

Daryl heard a noise coming from a door across the room and raised his crossbow, slowly shuffling across the room. He took a deep breath and steeled himself before swinging the door open.

"Holy shit..."

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Sophia and Christian had been at the little house for a few days now and they were starting to get really scared that they'd never be found.

It was starting to get late on their fourth day in the house when they heard some noises from outside.

"What was that?" Sophia whispered, staring at the door. Something banged on it and they jumped to their feet, tiptoeing over to a cupboard. They slipped inside, trying to scream as something continued to bang against the door.

"What if it's a walker?" Christian whispered. Sophia opened her mouth to reply, but before she could they heard the door slam open.

Sophia held a finger to her lips and they huddled together. Footsteps were drawing closer and closer to where they were hiding.

The door opened suddenly and the two children looked up.

"Holy shit..."

"Daddy!"

**Alright, didn't have time to finish typing this chapter yesterday so here it is! Next chapter is their return to the farm!**

**Also, I've written and will be uploading a one-shot companion piece to this story featuring Daryl, Merle, and Christian!**

**Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!**


	18. Almost Reunited

Almost Reunited

Daryl stood stock still, too shocked to believe what he was seeing. He broke out of his trance when Christian threw himself at his father.

"Daddy!"

Pain exploded in Daryl's side and he groaned, falling to his knees.

"Daddy..." Christian back away, frightened. He had never seen his dad like this before. His dad was invincible! He never got hurt! They were Dixons!  
"It's a'right buddy," Daryl said, reaching out to the five year old, "I'm okay." He pulled the boy against him and held him tightly. "Ya a'right bud? Sophia?"

Christian nodded and Daryl looked over at the girl. Sophia nodded as well as she walked over and hugged Daryl tightly.

"Yer both a'right now," Daryl said. He slowly got to his feet, breathing heavily.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sophia asked and Daryl nodded.

"Fine," he said, "Fell earlier, but once we get back ta the farm I'll clean it up."

"The farm?" Christian asjed.

"Ya, been stayin' there since we lost ya's."

"Is my mom there?" Sophia asked.

"Ya and she's been damn worried 'bout ye," Daryl told her. "Come on, shouldn't keep her waitin' no more."

He took the kid's hands and led them out of the house. They were walking slowly, both because the kids were exhausted and because the pain in Daryl's side was growing worse.

"Daddy are you sure yer okay?" Christian asked.

"Yeah Mr. Daryl, you don't look so good," Sophia added.

"Ain't no mister," was all Daryl said and kept walking, pulling the children along.

Finally, after what felt like hours, they broke through the trees.

"There it is," Daryl and both the children stared at the farm in front of them. "Come on."

They started walking again, the two kids lagging behind slightly. Now that safety was right in front of them, the exhaustion they had felt over the past few days was almost overwhelming.

Daryl glanced behind him and saw both kids were practically walking with their eyes closed. He turned back and saw Rick and some of the others running towards him.

Rick held his gun up.

"That's the third time you've pointed that thing at my head," Daryl said, "You gonna pulled the trigger or what?"

Rick lowered the gun, looking relieved.

"Oh my god," Glenn said, seeing the kids. However, before anyone could say anything more, a shot rang out and Daryl fell.

"Daddy!"

**Alright, I'm still working on my schedule to make sure I have enough time to write and then type. It's slowly coming together.**

**Thanks so much for reading this chapter and let me know what you think!**


	19. A Family Again

A Family Again

They stared in disbelief for a second before Rick sprang into action.

"No!" he screamed, looking back at the farm where the shot had come from. "No!"

"Daddy!"

"Daryl!"

Rick knelt down and was relieved to see Daryl was moving. The hunter raised a hand to the graze on his head.

"I was kidding," He said as Rick and Shane hauled him to his feet. "Th... kids..." He slurred before his head lolled forward and Daryl passed out.

Rick glanced back at where Glenn and T-Dog were trying to get a hysterical Sophia an Christian to calm down.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Is he dead? Is he dead?"

"Just unconscious," Rick replied.

"What the hell happened to him?" Glenn exclaimed as he ran to catch up with them, Christian in his arms.

"He got hurt," Sophia said, "Before he found us."

"Where did he find you?" Dale asked, but before Sophia could answer they ehard a strangled cry.

"Sophia!"

"Momma!" Sophia ran forward, wrapping her arms around her mother as Carol cried.

"Is he..." Lori started, staring at Daryl.

"Passed out," Rick shook his head.

"Take him upstairs," Hershel said, "I'll take a look at him. Patricia, you want to take a look at the kids? Get 'em something to eat."

Patricia nodded and walked over to where Carol was now kneeling in front of Christian, looking the boy over.

"I bet you guys are hungry, right?"

Sophia and Christian nodded.

"Alright, come on, let's get you guys something to eat," Patricia said.

"What about my daddy?" Christian asked and Maggie stepped forward.

"Hi there, I'm Maggie," she crouched down, "That guy who went inside with your dad and the others? That's my dad, Hershel. he's going to take real good care of your daddy. But in the meantime, why don't we get you and Sophia something to eat and make sure you guys are okay?"

Christian nodded and Maggie smiled at him before standing up and going inside with him, Carol, Sophia, Patricia, and Glenn.

DIXONFAMILYMATTERSDIXONFAMILYMATTERSDIXONFAMILYMATTERS

"You wanna tell me how this happened?" Rick asked as he sat on the other side of the bed, watching Hershel clean Daryl's wound.

"Horse threw me," Daryl replied, "Fell down a cliff, bolt went through my side."

Rick sighed.

"What?" Daryl said, "Ya gonna lecture me 'bout how I coulda died?"

"Thinkin' about it," Rick told him, but Daryl just shrugged, wincing as he did so.

"But I didn't," he said, "An' I found Christian an' Sophia."

Rick laughed slightly at how pleased Daryl looked with himself.

"Told ye I would, didn't I?"

"Yes you did," Rick nodded, "Where'd you find 'em?"

"This house in the middle of the forest," Daryl replied, "Looks like they mighta been holed up there for a few days."

"And my horse?" Hershel finally spoke up, "Any idea where she is?"

"If it's smart it left the country," Daryl retorted.

"We call that one Nelly, as in Nervous Nelly," Hershel told him. "I coulda told you that if you'd asked."

Daryl just shrugged again and Rick sighed in exasperation.

"I give up," he said, "Just don't do it again."

"Ain't like we got a ton o' lost kids out in those woods, is it?" Daryl said and Rick nodded. Well, he couldn't argue with that.

"Alright, done," Hershel said. "You need ta rest. No more gallivanting off on stolen horses."

"Trust me, I ain't goin' neat them things again," Daryl said.

Hershel exchanged amused glances with Rick just as there was a knock on the door. He opened it to see Carol, Sophia, and Christian staring on the other side.

"Daddy!" Christian ran forward and clambered up onto the be

"Careful Christian," Rick laughed slightly, "Your dad just fell down a cliff, he needs ta take it easy."

"Ya fell down a cliff?" Christian asked, wide eyed, "Is that how you got hurt?"

"Sorta," Daryl nodded, "I fell and I accidentally shot myself with my bow."

"You shot yourself?" Christian asked flatly and Daryl could've laughed at the boy's expression if it wouldn't have pulled at his side. "Daddy, yer supposed to point it away from yourself."

The other adults in the room laughed and Christian looked around at them all, confused as to what was funny. Rick and Hershel excused themselves, leaving the two recently united families alone.

"Thank you," Carol said, stepping forward so Daryl didn't need to crane his beck to see her. "For finding Sophia and bringing her back to me."

"Told ya I would, didn't I?" Daryl said.

"Well still, thank you," Carol repeated, "I'm just happy both of them are okay."

"Yeah..." Daryl looked down at where Christian had settled against Daryl's uninjured side and it appeared the boy was falling asleep.

"Do you want me to take him so you can rest?" Carol offered.

"Naw, he's a'right," Daryl replied, "Doubt either of 'em have slept much."

"Probably not," Carol agreed, looking down at her daughter who was leaning heavily into her, eyes drooping. "I should get her to bed." She bent down and kissed his forehead gently.

"You're a good man Daryl Dixon," she whispered, "Thank you."

"Thank you Daryl," Sophia murmured sleepily as her mother led her out of the room.

Daryl laid there for a moment, staring at the spot where Carol had stood. He shook his. Nah, it didn't mean anything. He shifted into a more comfortable position before drawing the sleeping give year old closer to his side and closing his eyes.

**Getting closer and closer to Caryl! Also really liking exploring the Rickyl brotherhood.**

**Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!**


	20. Christian Lashes Out

Christian Lashes Out

Several days passed and the kids were settling in well at camp. Daryl had moved back out to his tent and, despite his grumblings about how long it was taking, his wounds were healing well.

Christian was sitting in one of the chairs, a children's book Maggie had dug out for him open in his lap as he attempted to read.

"Hey buddy."

Christian looked up, but immediately turned away again when he saw who it was. Andrea. The lady who shot his daddy.

Awe, come on buddy, don't be like that," she crouched down next to his chair.

"Don't call me that," he said, turning away.

"Christian I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to hurt your dad."

"Ya didn't hurt him, you shot him," Christian said angrily. "Ya almos' killed my daddy!"

"I didn't mean to," Andrea hedged.

"I don't care," Christian got up and made to storm off, but Andrea put her hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, I'm really sorry," she said again, "But you know, there's nothing to worry about. Your dad's gonna be fine and until he is we'll all look after you."

"I don't need ya ta look after me!" Christian cried and Andrea stared at him in shock. The boy had always been so quiet, so reserved, basically the complete opposite of what she imaged most other five year olds were like. She assumed it had something to do with where he grew up and it seemed to be a trait he'd gotten from his dad. Apparently he'd inherited the Dixon family temper as well.

"Christian-"

"Ya almos' killed my daddy! I don't need ya lookin' after me!" he yelled. "I can look after myself! My daddy showed me how ta hunt and I can kill walkers! I don't need nobody!"

"Sure you do," she smiled gently at him. "You're almost six-"

"I need my daddy and he's almost dead cause of ya!" Christian shouted, tears slipping down his cheeks.

"What's going on?" It was Carol. She walked over and scooped Christian into her arms. "What are you doing?" She was looking at Andrea now.

"I was just telling him how sorry I was," Andrea said.

"By upsetting him?" Carol said incredulously.

"No, I was just-"

"Look, Andrea, I get it," Carol said, "But he's not an adult, he's a boy who saw his father get hurt. Maybe now isn't a good time?"

Andrea nodded slowly and watched Carol walk away, calming the little boy as she went.

**I know I haven't updated in quite a while. There's been some crazy stuff going on in my life lately which means I've kind of been neglecting all my writing.**

**I've managed to get a couple one-shots up, but any chapters for my weekly fanfics have basically been ignored lately. Same with my blog which I've kind of neglected these past few weeks as well.**

**I'm hoping to go back to weekly updates, but I don't want to make any promises I can't keep so for now I'll say the new chapter will be up soon.**

**I was pretty happy with how this chapter turned out especially since it was kind of hard to write. I'm still trying to find Christian's voice and let me tell you, I'm really looking forward to writing this kid when he's a bit older and there's a bit more of a change like what we saw with Carl in the show (but, you know, with less parent-hating tendencies).  
**

**Thank you so much for reading and all your patience! Let me know what you think!**


	21. Like Father, Like Son

Like Father, Like Son

"Come on now, hush, it's okay," Carol soothed Christian as she carried him away from Andrea.

"It's not okay!" Christian cried, "She tried ta kill my daddy!"

"She didn't mean to," Carol said gently. "She thought he was a walker and she was trying to protect everyone."

"She still shouldn't a' shot 'im," Christian said stubbornly as he sniffed miserably and wiped his eyes.

"You're right," Carol complied, "She shouldn't have. But the important thing is that you're daddy's okay, right?"

Christian nodded. "I'm still mad at her though," he said.

Carol couldn't help but smile as she pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "That's okay, you're allowed to be mad about it, what happened was really scary." She heard someone chuckle behind her and looked over her shoulder to see Daryl standing there.

"What're you doing up?" Carol asked, "You're supposed to be resting!"

"Daddy! Yer supposed ta be in bed!" Christian ran over to his father.

"I was till I hear ya shoutin'," Daryl told his son.

"Oh, sorry daddy," Christian said, but Daryl just ruffled his hair affectionately, wincing as the movement pulled in his side.

"Alright, you need to lie down," Carol said, walking over and taking his arm as the three walked back to camp. Christian ran ahead.

"He's different now," Carol noted and Daryl looked at her questioningly. "He was so quiet at first, I hardly ever heard him say a word. Now he never stops talking and he plays with the others. It's nice." She looked over at Daryl and noticed the strange look on his face and realized she had been saying all these things about his son. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Naw, don't worry about it," Daryl shrugged. "He didn't really get ta be a kid before. We never had much... I tried, ya know? He never starved or nothin' an' there was always a roof over his head, but..." Daryl shrugged. "He never asked fer anythin'. Most kids whine and cry for toys an' candy an' shit. I ain't sayin' he never cried or asked fer stuff, he's a kid, but..."

"Kids are smart," Carol said, "I tried to hide things from Sophia to protect her, but she always figured it out. Christian's a smart boy and he's a lot like you. Even if you tried to hide things from him and make everything seem perfect, he probably knew, at least on some level. And he probably knew just how much it killed you every time you said no."

Daryl stopped and turned to stare at her.

She stared back. "What?" she asked.

"Nothin'," Daryl just shrugged again, still staring at her.

Carol held his gaze as they slowly leaned closer together. Their lips had almost touched when they heard a giggle and looked over to see Sophia and Christian watching them.

"Um, you need to rest," Carol said, blushing hard as Daryl nodded and slowly walked away from her and over to his tent. Carol watched him go until she heard another giggle.

"Alright, come on you two! Let's go see if anyone needs help with anything!" she called to the children, walking up to the farmhouse with Sophia and Christian following behind.

"I told you they liked each other," Sophia whispered to the younger boy, giggling as they hurried to catch up with her mother.

**Caryl is coming very soon!**

**Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!**


	22. Walkers in the Barn

Walkers in the Barn

"The barn's full of walkers."

They all froze, looking up at Glenn in shock. Glenn stood there for a moment, looking nervous as the others all absorbed this information before standing and rushing to the barn, breakfast long forgotten.

"Stay here," Daryl murmured as they got closer to the barn and Carol stood near the back of the group with Lori and the kids.

Shane walked closer to the door, edging forward slowly as he peered through the gap. A walker slammed against the door, growling, and they all jumped.

Shane cursed, immediately going off on one as Rick tried to calm him down.

"Why are the walkers in there?" Christian asked.

"I don't know," Carol answered honestly, exchanging looks with Lori.

"Come on," Lori said, "Let's leave the others to sort this out."

"But mom," Carl whined.

"Nope," Lori shook her head, leading her son away.

Carol held Sophia and Christian's hands and started to follow, but Christian didn't move.

"Christian, come on," Carol said.

"Can't I help?" he asked, looking up at her.

"Help with what?" she asked.

"Help get rid of the walkers," he said. "That's what they're going to do right?"

"Oh, um, I don't know," Carol said.

"But that's what they're all yelling about," Christian pointed out, brow furrowed in confusion.

"Yeah, we can't live here if there's walkers in the barn," Sophia added.

"Rick and the others will figure it out," Carol assured them. "And I think it's very brave you want to help, but I need you both to help in a different way."

"How?" they asked.

"Well, if the others are going to be dealing with the walkers then there's going to be lots of things around camp that need to be done and we're going to need two strong boys and one strong girl to help out, you know anyone like that?"

They both grinned at her and laughed before running off to join Lori and Carl.

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Daryl walked over to the camp where Carol was sitting working on school work with the kids. Carl had gone with Shane and Lori was somewhere up at the house. She saw Daryl walking towards them and got up to meet him.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Rick's talkin' ta Hershel," Daryl told her.

"What is there to talk about?" Carol questioned. "There's walkers in the barn, they can't stay there."

"'parently Dale knew they were in there too," Daryl said, "He talked ta Hershel a'ready an' it's Hershel's family in the barn. Still thinks there's gonna be some kinda cure." Daryl scoffed. "Ain't no cure for whatever this is."

"Can't blame him for having hope," Carol said, "We've been out there, we know there's no cure. Hershel and his family have been here the whole time, they don't know what it's really like."

"Well they better figure it out soon cause Shane ain't gonna leave that barn alone," Daryl said.

Carol brought her hand up to rest on his shoulder and smiled gently at him.

"How's he doin'?" Daryl asked, changing the subject as he nodded at Christian.

"He's doing really well," Carol smiled wider now. "His reading's really improving and I've been doing some math with him and he's really getting the hang of it."

"Ya, he's definitely the smartest Dixon to ever live," Daryl said.

"I know reading and math aren't the most important things right now-"

"Naw, it's good," Daryl said, "I told ya before, he ain't been ta school and he ain't gonna be goin' now. Good for him ta learn this stuff. It's what kids are supposed ta do, right?"

Carol nodded.

"Five and he's already a pretty good tracker," Daryl went on, "He'd probably be a decent hunter too if his hands were big enough to hold a real weapon. He needs ta learn some normal stuff too."

"He asked if he could help get rid of the walkers in the barn," Carol told him and Daryl nodded, unsurprised.

"Me an' Merle learned ta hunt an' track cause we had to," Daryl told her. "Used ta take Christian out with me, but didn't actually start teachin' him 'til he was four. Just, identifying animal tracks and stuff."

"He's a fast learner," Carol commented. "He pointed out some rabbit tracks the other day to me, I hadn't even noticed them."

"It's part a' bein' a Dixon," Daryl replied. "I wasn't teachin' him cause he had ta know, but even before the world went ta shit ya gotta know how ta survive."

"I think surviving now might actually be easier than it was back then," Carol said, watching the kids. "I don't think you have to worry too much. Before you know it Christian'll be bigger than you and hunting all on his own."

Daryl huffed a laugh and followed her over to rejoin the kids.

**Alright, so this chapter took a much different turn than I was anticipating, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I'm also hoping this chapter may have answered any questions/concerns people have had.**

**Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!**


	23. Stay Here

Stay Here

Hell. That's where things had gone, if they weren't already there before.

Shane just couldn't leave things alone. They couldn't live next to a barn full of walkers, Daryl knew that, but there had to have been a better way to deal with it.

He didn't understand Hershel's view on the walkers, there wasn't any cure and there never would be. But even he felt bad about slaughtering all of them, Hershel's family, right in front of them.

"And now that Randall kid was here...

"Daddy?"

Daryl looked round from where he'd been staring at the fire as Christian stumbled out of the tent, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Hey buddy," Daryl said as the boy plopped down next to him, "Ya a'right?"

Christian shrugged, playing with a toy clutched in his hands.

Daryl sighed and pulled the boy against him. Every since the walkers in the barn Christian hadn't been sleeping well. Clearly the idea of helping get rid of the walkers was more appearing than actually witnessing it.

"Ya don't gotta be scared ya know," Daryl said.

"'m not scared," Christian mumbled.

"A'right," Daryl said, "Well that's good, cause there's nothin' ta be scared of. I ain't gonna let nothin' happen ta ye."

"I know," Christian said, snuggling closer to his dad as he grew more and more tired.

"Carol ain't gonna let nothin' happen ta ye either," Daryl added, looking down as he felt Christian pull away slightly. The little boy was staring up at him, a mischievous grin on his face.

"What?" Daryl asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"You liked her now, right?" Christian asked.

"What?" Daryl asked again, confused.

"carol," Christian said and his tone made Daryl suspect there was supposed to be a 'duh' at the end of that.

"Ya said at the CDC you liked her, but you didn't _like_ her," Christian said.

"That ain't what I said," Daryl said without thinking.

"So ya do like her!" Christian exclaimed loudly, ignoring his dad as Daryl hushed him. "I knew it! Sophia said you liked each other."

"Did she?" Daryl said dryly.

"Uh huh," Christian nodded, "And she said she's a girl so she knows these things."

Daryl chuckled lowly and looked at the toy in Christian's hand.

"Where'd ya get that?" he asked, pointing at the Spiderman action figure.

"Maggie gave it to me," Christian told him.

"Didja-"

"I said thank you," Christian said and Daryl smirked.

"Once we find a new place ta live I'll see if I can find anythin' fer ye, Sophia, an' Carl. Comics an' stuff, like what ya had before."

"Carol has some comics and he's been letting me read them," Christian said. "I know what they say for real now cause I can read them."

"Yeah? Don't gotta make up yer own stories anymore, huh?" Daryl said with a smile and Christian nodded, yawning widely.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"Can't we stay here?" Christian mumbled. "I like it here and I like Hershel and Maggie and Beth and others."

"I know bud, but we can't," Daryl said and he heard Christian sigh sadly. "We'll find somewhere else bud, don't worry."

"Okay daddy," Christian mumbled sadly, lying down and putting his head in his dad's lap.

"Get some sleep kid," Daryl said, running his hand through Christian's dark hair as the little boy drifted off.

Daryl looked up at the sky and sighed, wishing things would settle down for once and cursing Shane for being the biggest asshole in Georgia.

**I didn't want to actually show the whole barn scene because obviously it would be totally different now since Sophia's alive in this. I decided to jump ahead a bit and am really happy with how this turned out.**

**Thank you so much for reading this chapter! I should have a new chapter up next Thursday!**

**Also, I am very excited to say I will be going to Fan Expo this week! It actually starts today and goes through to Sunday. I won't be there all four days, but I will be there to see **_**The Boondock Saints**_** panel and **_**The Walking Dead**_** panel.**

**In a matter of days I will be mere feet from Norman Reedus, Chandler Riggs, and Lennie James and I am so incredibly excited! ! I will also be mere feet from Sean Patrick Flanery (and meeting him!) and David Della Rocco! I am literally freaking out! Let me know if any of you are going**


	24. Bonding

Bonding

Daryl held his hand under the pump as he let the water run over it. He had just finished his 'talk' with Randall. After everything the id had said he deserved what he got, but he was kind of pissed he'd hurt his hand in the process.

"Here."

Daryl looked round and saw Sophia standing there, holding some bandages out to him.

"Thanks," Daryl took them and dried off his hand with his shirt before wrapping the bandages around his bruised knuckles.

"Yer momma know where you are?" he asked.

"I told her I was going to find you," Sophia told him, "She's helping Lori make lunch for everyone."

"Where's Christian?" Daryl asked, eyes scanning the area.

"He's playing with Carl," Sophia rolled her eyes and Daryl snorted.

"Ye didn't wanna play with 'em?" Daryl questioned, picking up his crossbow and starting back to camp, Sophia at his side.

"Carl thinks he's all tough now he gets to carry a gun," Sophia said, frustrated. "It's so annoying, he keeps bragging about how he's included in all the plans now."

"That ain't true," Daryl told her.

"I know, but when I told him he was lying he said I don't know how to use a gun so I don't know anything!" Sophia said angrily.

"Look, Carl ain't included in any plans," Daryl said, "So just ignore him when he says that. And the tough guy routine will stop eventually when he realizes no one cares."

Sophia giggled, but then grew serious again. "Can you teach me to shoot?" she asked.

"Oh, um, I dunno-"

"Please!" Sophia begged, "Carl and Christian know how to shoot!"

"Christian knows how ta hold it, he ain't actually shot one cause his hands are too small."

"That's still more than me!" Sophia pointed out. "Please Daryl! Please teach me to shoot! I can help look after Christian then and I promise I won't be annoying about it like Carl!"

Daryl sighed. "We'll have ta ask yer momma-"

"Thank you Daryl!" she exclaimed, hugging him tightly for a second before running off.

"I didn't say yes!" he called before sighing again and following after her.

"Momma! Guess what? Daryl's gonna teach me how to shoot!" Sophia was saying excitedly.

"I didn't say that!" Daryl shouted and Carol laughed.

"Well, I think that's a great idea," Carol smiled.

"You do?" Daryl, Sophia, and Lori said simultaneously.

"Yeah," Carol nodded, "If you don't mind, I think you're probably the best one to teach her."

Sophia looked hopefully at Daryl.

"A'right," he finally conceded and the little girl beamed at him.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she hugged him again and Daryl patted her should awkwardly. Carol laughed again at how awkward he looked, but was prevented from saying anything further by shouting coming from across the yard.

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"Where are we going?" Christian asked, rushing to keep up with Carl.

"The barn," Carl replied, glancing back at the younger boy, but not slowing down.

"But that guy's in the barn," Christian said.

"I know."

"My daddy says we're not supposed to go near that guy," Christian said. "Yer daddy said that too."

"So?" Carl said as the two boys came around the back of the barn.

"So we can't go in there!" Christian hissed, "My daddy says he's dangerous."

"He's tied up," Carl said, "Besides, he won't try to hurt us, I've got my gun.

Christian rolled his eyes. "But-"

"I thought you were tough?" Carl spun around. "Your daddy's tough and I heard you telling Sophia you know how to hunt and track just like him. Or were you lying? Maybe you can't hunt or track. You can't even shoot! You're just a little baby."

"I'm not a baby!" Christian said angrily.

'Then stop acting like one!" Carl shot back, "And let's go check this guy out. He can't hurt us."

Christian's eyes drifted to where Carl's hand rested at his side, gun in holster.

"Fine," he huffed and Carl grinned, turning to go up the ladder. Christian followed and the two boys soon found themselves in the upper level of the barn. They crept forward, gazing down at the boy tied up below. One of the boards creaked and the guy looked up.

"Hey," he said and Christian took a step back, but Carl kept going, staring down at the kid as he moved forward.

"Hey kid, what's your name?"

Neither boy said anything as Carl slowly went down the ladder, never taking his eyes off the kid tied up. Christian hesitated for another moment before following his friend.

"You're the sheriff's kid, right?" the guy guessed, eyeing Carl's hat. He looked at Christian. "Are you his brother? No..." He took in Christian's sleeveless shirt. "That guy who was in here before, he's your dad, right?"

Christian didn't answer, sidling closer to Carl without ever taking his eyes off the boy.

"Listen, I'm really not bad," the guy said, "Whatever they've been saying isn't true. I'm a good guy, I don't deserve to be locked up in here, you guys can help me. Come on, just-"

"What the hell?" an angry voice said and the three boys looked over to see Shane standing there looking furious. He marched over and grabbed Carl's and Christian's arms, dragging them outside.

"What d'you two think you're doing?" he said angrily. "You were told ta stay away from him!"

"We- we were-" Christian stammered. Out of everyone in camp, Shane was the only one he was scared of. Even his Uncle Merle didn't scare him, but Shane...

"You were where you shouldn't be!" Shane shouted at them, "Next time you're told to do something-"

"There a problem here?" Daryl asked.

Shane then realized he was gathering an audience as the group came over.

"Fonud 'em in there with Randall," Shane said as Christian ran over to his dad and Carl went to stand with his mom.

"They were told how many times not to go in there, not to go near tha' guy and they didn't listen!" Shane said angrily.

"Alright Shane, calm down," Rick said, "They should have listened, yes. But they're kids and it's not your place to yell at them."

"Yer right, but where were you and where was Daryl?" Shane spat before stalking off. The group slowly dispersed, Lori and Rick pulling Carl along to deal with what had just happened.

Daryl led Christian back tot he camp and the boy sat next to Sophia.

"The hell were ya thinkin'?" Daryl asked, frustrated. Christian didn't say anything.

"Christian," Daryl knelt down, "I told ya, everyone told ya not ta go near that guy. The hell were you an' Carl doin'?"

"Carl called me a baby!" Christian exclaimed.

"What?"

"Carl called me a baby and said I'm not tough and that I'm lying and I don't know how ta track and or hunt and he said I'm a baby."

Daryl would never understand how it was kids got so much air when they were upset about something. He looked over his son's shoulder and saw Carol smiling sympathetically.

"Buddy, ya shouldn't have gone in there," Daryl said, taking a deep breath to keep himself calm. All he could hear was Randall describing all the things he'd done to those people at the camps his group had invaded and only a minute ago his son had been standing right in front of that prick."

"He's dangerous, I don't care that he was tied up," Daryl said, "Carl callin' ye a baby ain't an excuse fer doin' something ye were told was dangerous. I don't ever want ya doin' somethin' like that again, got it?"

Christian nodded. "I'm sorry daddy."

Daryl ruffled his hair. "And ye ain't a baby. Ye know how ta hunt an' track, Carl just said ye were lying cause he don't know how ta do either and wanted ta make ya feel bad."

Christian giggled and Sophia laughed. Daryl pressed a kiss to Christian's forehead before ruffling Sophia's hair as he passed them to help Carol finish making lunch.

**Carl was a lil' shit in season two (he's much better now!), but I was really interested to kind of explore how he would've been with other kids since during the actual show he was the only kid around. I think if Sophia had lived it would've been interesting to see what would've happened during Carl's dark period.**

**Also Shane's an ass. Yup, that's really all there is to that.**

**I also love exploring the relationship between Daryl, Carol, and the kids and was really happy with how this whole chapter turned out.**

**Thanks so much for reading!**


	25. We All

We All...

"We found Randall, he was a walker," Daryl said.

"Did you find the walker that bit him?" Hershel asked.

"That's the weird part," Glenn replied, "He wasn't bit."

"His neck was broke," Daryl told them.

"Will you please go out there and find Shane and Rick and future out what the hell is going on?" Lori begged and Daryl nodded.

"You got it." He exchanged looks with Carol before heading back outside, Glenn and Andrea behind him.

All three stopped short at what they saw. A herd, bigger than any they'd seen before, heading straight for the house.

"Oh my god," Glenn said before running into the house. He returned a few moments later with Hershel and Patricia.

"Patricia, get the lights," Hershel whispered and she ran inside to do so.

"Can't we just go inside? Wait for them to pass?" Glenn asked.

"Not unless there's a tunnel in the basement I don't know about," Daryl said. "Herd that size'll knock the house down."

"We got guns, ammunition," Hershel said.

"So we stand and fight?" Andrea asked incredulously.

"It's my farm. I'll die here," Hershel replied.

"Tonight's as good as any," Daryl shrugged, walking over to the door. He saw Carol standing just inside and motioned for her to come closer.

"What're we going to do?" she asked immediately.

"Hershel wants ta fight," Daryl told her, " Can ya-"

"I'll look after Christian," she promised him and he nodded.

"I'll come back for ya if things go south," he said and this time it was Carol who nodded.

"You better," she said and then, feeling bold and reckless with the herd coming down on top of them, she leaned in and kissed him.

"Carl's gone!"

They broke apart as Lori ran down the stairs.

"What?" Carol asked.

"He was upstairs and now he's gone!"

"What about Sophia and Christian?"

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"What are you doing?" Sophia asked as Carl slid the window open.

"I'm going to help look for Randall," Carl told her.

"We're supposed to stay up here," Christian said.

"I'm going to help my dad and Shane look for Randall," Carl said insistently, "You coming?"

"No way!" Sophia shook her head. "We'd be in so much troble."

Carl rolled his eyes and sighed before looking at Christian.

"Are _you _coming?" Carl asked.

"No he's not!" Sophia said immediately.

"I thought you weren't a baby?" Carl teased him, "Or is Sophia your mommy now?"

"I'm not a baby," Christian said vehemently.

"Then you're going to come help look for Randall?" Carl asked expectantly.

"Christian, no!" Sophia said.

Christian looked back and forth between the pair, torn on what to do.

**Dun dun dun, what will Christian do?**

**Sorry it's late. I was experiencing some serious writers block this week (particularly with this story and "Safe Keeping") and then I was babysitting a lot. I actually finished writing this story while the kids were sleeping.**

**Thanks so much for reading!**


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